Since its establishment in 2003, the structure of Ausway Transport’s entire fleet has transformed to revolve around relationships with its suppliers. Now, Ausway Transport has a dedicated OEM for each individual product which carries over with every truck and trailer combination.
“Around 2006, we decided to have a set supplier for everything,” says General Manager, Bobby Sooch. “The fleet has grown significantly, to over 50 prime movers, mostly Kenworths and Volvos, and over 100 trailers, mostly Vawdrey and FTE.”
As well as with the prime movers and trailers, this principle applies to the fleet’s lighting, suspension, axles, fifth wheels and landing legs. A leading example of this structure is JOST.
Since 2003, Ausway Transport has specified JOST products as standard wherever possible. It began, as Bobby recalls, thanks to the family’s first truck and trailer combination which was fitted with a JOST fifth wheel. The product outperformed in every possible way, and after experiencing nothing but success for several years, the Sooch family knew they had struck gold. 
“We had no trouble with the turntable whatsoever, and that’s what grew the relationship,” Bobby says. “JOST’s heavy duty Modul landing legs and JSK37C turntables are now standard across the entire fleet. We’ve got their Rockinger R0500 coupling as well in a road train setup, which we’re just starting to deploy.
“JOST is a recommended brand by most dealerships as well, because most trucks come with JOST as a factory option. But if a truck does not have a JOST product fitted to it, and it’s a brand-new purchase for us, we will change it to JOST.”
Regular orders all year round with JOST since then has familiarised its quality with Ausway Transport’s operations.
With the fleet growing at such a rapid pace, and Bobby wanting to provide drivers with the best equipment, it was essential for him to delve into the safety side of fifth wheels with JOST’s greaseless sensor top turntables. According to Bobby, since introducing these into the fleet, there hasn’t been a false couple or dropped trailer.
“It just gives you that extra peace of mind,” he says. “There are a lot of accidents can happen. We’re pretty skilled when it comes to the sensor wheels, but if someone forgets to check a trailer or something, at least there’s a vital piece of technology available to prevent you from damaging the trailer. It’s really good safetywise, you know the turntable is locked all of the time.” 
When it comes to the running gear with JOST, Bobby says the fleet benefits financially as well as the possibility of breakdowns are reduced.
“It’s a product that doesn’t cause breakdowns if you use it properly,” he says. “We’ve never come across any issues. The running gear has been reliable when it comes to using the JOST product – I’ve had trucks that have passed one million kilometres and they’ve just gone through minor adjustments.”
Ausway Transport’s fleet runs mainly on the east coast, but it has just introduced trips to Western Australian and back. This is another reason for Ausway to choose suppliers like JOST as they have company-owned branches in the main states for support along with a strong network of distributors.
According to Bobby, though, the highlight of choosing JOST as an exclusive supplier is its unparalleled aftersales service, led by Area Sales Manager, Colin Himmerman.
“The beauty is that they come and visit you,” he says. “Every couple of months Colin will come in just to check on everything. He’s always available, and if he misses our call, we know that he will call us back. That’s what we like with our suppliers.”
These factors give Bobby confidence to go towards JOST time and time again.
“My father and grandfather always told me that it’s not about sales,” he says. “When you come to buy a product, every single salesman is the best – they will sell you the product. You can buy a Mercedes or any other brand, and you will find that every single salesman is confident to sell that product. What you have to look at is the after-sale effect and if there are people looking to support that product.
“That’s why we choose JOST, because they’re always there when you need them. It’s not about the sale for them, it’s about the quality and support they are providing. That’s what you want to target when you go to a supplier, and that’s the reason we have set suppliers.”
This article was published in Trailer Magazine August 2023 edition. Trailer Magazine is Australia’s leading B2B publication dedicated to trailers, truck bodies and ancillary equipment. For the latest editorial and news about road transport in Australia, see Trailer Magazine.
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JOST Australia offers a comprehensive suite of solutions that encompasses fifth wheel couplings, landing gear, king pins, and other quality transportation components, as well as ongoing after sale service, training, and maintenance. Contact us today if you would like to optimise your transportation operations.